‘Mind- blowing’
Corner Brook woman gets her dancing foot in the door with Cirque du Soleil
When they called out No. 350, Frankie Warren had to ask the person next to her if she had heard correctly.
While others who had their numbers called were unable to contain their excitement, the former Corner Brook resident managed to keep all the fireworks going off inside her head under control.
Warren, who turns 19 next week, had just made the first cut in the audition for the hip-hop portion of Cirque du Soleil’s planned production for the Pan American Games being held in Toronto in July.
She’s studying for a bachelor of fine arts degree in modern dance at the University of Calgary, but made the trek to Toronto for the auditions last week after hearing about it from a friend. Mostly self-taught when it comes to hip hop, the urban street dance style is Warren’s specialty and she has even taught classes in it herself.
When the final cuts were made at the audition, the judges called out 15 numbers and asked them to all stand in one corner of the room. Warren was not among that group.
Intense anticipation set in, but it quickly turned to relief and elation. The judges — including choreographer Luther Brown, who regularly appeared on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” — told the group of 15 they would be alternate dancers. The remaining group of about 50, including Warren, were all told they will be in the show at the Rogers Centre on the opening July 10.
“It was mind-blowing,” she said of the experience. “I know this is not like the shows Cirque du Soleil usually does, but it is still Cirque du Soleil.”
Throughout the audition day, the dancers got to show off their diversity. That included showing how to learn choreography quickly in a group setting, how to portray the full gamut of emotions during different dance scenarios and how their ability to ad lib when asked to do so.
Warren felt the freestyle portion was a strong point for her, since some other dancers seem to have difficulty making up moves without specified choreography.
After completing her second semester in Calgary, Warren will move to Ontario for the start of rehearsals with Cirque du Soleil in early May.
While the modern dance classes she is studying for are different from hip hop, she feels the strength and conditioning aspect of school will help her get ready for the exciting opportunity coming her way.